“Keep me updated on your progress. I have provided you with a videophone with unlimited calls.”
The Secretary winked, reading surprise and gratitude in the girl’s gaping eyes – suddenly she appeared once again incredibly young. After a few seconds she found her voice, and addressed a shy smile in his direction.
“Thanks.”
“So, how did it go?”
“Could be worse. At least the mission comes from an idea of mine.”
Cleo was leaning with her back to the window, her hands on the window sill behind her. Sitting on the couch, Julia was thoughtfully chewing on an apple.
“Basically I have to pick up material for a study on the Terrorists’ language.”
“You’re not going out there to fight, then.”
“No. That is not our objective for the moment.”
Cleo breathed out, releasing some of her anxiety.
“Good.”
She frowned.
“Our objective?”
“It appears that I’m going to be assigned a team of about ten units.”
While saying these words, Julia had remained bowed down on her apple. The position of her shoulders, bent from the invisible weight of responsibility, betrayed her insecurity and so did her tone, where self-irony attempted to mask her fear.
Cleo smiled at her sister, even if she wasn’t watching.
“I’m sure you’ll find yourself at ease after a little while. From what you tell me, Marcus looks like the kind of person that knows what he’s doing.”
Julia looked slightly up, weighing these words.
“Yes… I guess. I’ll get by.”
She answered Cleo’s smile.
“What about you? How did it go?”
“With what?”
“With the banana! Did you digest it without consequence?”
Cleo giggled.
“I think. I felt some strange movement, but no pain.”
“Good. Do you want some of this apple?”
Julia cut a piece of the fruit and stretched her arm out towards the sister, offering her a greenish slice - once again Cleo looked at it suspiciously.
“And what if I like it?”
Julia paused before answering, not because of hesitation but reflection. Her words resonated simple and determined.
“I will renegotiate my agreement with Marcus.”
Cleo pulled back, shaking her head.
“Julia, no. I’m already a weight.”
Her sister stared at her.
“Are you kidding? I’ve never considered you a weight!”
Cleo looked down, hiding her wet eyes with her curls.
“I don’t want you to face further risks, especially not for me.”
“Hey.”
Julia spoke with unusual softness, forcing the younger girl to look at her with her calm gaze.
“Let’s not worry too much before it’s time – you might not even like the apple!”
Cleo sketched a smile.
“And then, I can always ask a favor from the Empire.”
Her eyes darkened as she lowered her voice.
“I don’t feel much in debt anymore.”
Cleo’s frightened look softened her voice.
“Come on, just try this for the moment.”
Hesitating, Cleo took the slice from Julia’s hands and gingerly licked the coarse surface of the fruit, daring then a little nibble with her front teeth. She squeezed her eyes and pulled a face, chewing awkwardly.
“But it’s…”
“Sour, I know.”
Julia had learned the word from Marcus - Cleo barely registered the information, taken as she was by giving the nibbled slice back to her sister, laughing.
“I would say that for the moment I really don’t feel the need to switch to a biological alimentation.”
Julia smiled at this rapid mood change.
“All right. If you change your mind I’ll have you taste other things, but perhaps for the moment it’s better this way.
She unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach.
“Re-adjusting our digestive system is a pain.”
Cleo smiled, but was soon serious again, her eyes the color of the Forest in autumn.
“Marcus didn’t say how long you’ll be away?”
Captain Mayne shook her head, sending ripples to her ponytail.
“No, but he did assign me a videophone with unlimited calls.”
“Really? This makes me believe it’s going to be a long mission, if he wants you to update him regularly.”
“Or short – and the number of potential calls is limited.”
Cleo nodded.
“This is also true… and I imagine much is going to depend on the material you can gather.”
In the following silence, Julia stood up to throw the apple’s core in the incinerator. She was not facing Cleo, when she was almost imperiously hailed by her sister.
She turned to meet her intense look.
“Julia? Promise me you’re not going to take any unnecessary risks, to hurry?”
Captain Mayne froze, nailed down by this request, struck by how naturally Cleo had anticipated her thoughts and future temptation.
She nodded.
“I promise.”
She then nodded again to herself, with a dry smile.
“I’m starting to understand why Marcus wants to have me accompanied by a team.”
VII
The weight of the armor was familiar and even comforting, as if the protective gear could hide and protect Julia, enclosed in the role of Captain Mayne: imperial moons engraved in the plastiresin of her protective collar illustrated her rank.
She had been assigned a spacious and comfortable habitation module, integrated in the dorms, but the portable videophone Marcus had granted her was the real luxury. For her mission the Secretary had provided her with recording equipment, torches and flash grenades. The Advanced Corps rifle Kalashnikov Beta was propped, along with other munitions, against the closet for her armor.
For other kinds of weapons Julia would have to depend on the arsenal of the base - for this reason her first priority was to create a feeling of mutual cooperation with Commander Nah, who was in charge of the outpost. Just like the Commander had no authority on a member of the Advanced Corps, similarly Julia held no rights on the structure.
The Commander’s behavior to that moment justified high hopes. Upon her arrival the day earlier, Julia had been invited to rest from her long aerovehicle journey, in an accommodation that was far from modest. Now Captain Mayne was preparing to meet the Commander of the base for breakfast, in response to an invitation which promised a cordial approach to the cooperation imposed on them by the heads of the Ministry.
Upon her exit from the module, Julia was impressed by the efficiency of the cooling system of her accommodation, since directly from the door she impacted with what felt like a solid wall of heat and humidity. She swatted off a fly as big as her thumbnail with an annoyed gesture of her hand.
The Northern American jungle was quite different from the Forest she had experienced before. The outpost itself, clearly a temporary base, looked wilder than any imperial settlement she had ever seen - even the walls, despite the considerable size of the structure, were shrunk down to a high tension fence, propped up by the vigilance and attention of the technicians who were supervising the condition of the solar panels providing energy to the base.
Captain Nah’s tent was placed at the center and dominated the entire fenced area with its three floors. Hurrying to limit the time of exposure to the intense heat, and already beading with sweat, Julia headed decisively towards the odd building, where two men were guarding the entrance. They quickly saluted her, looking at her with curiosity, inviting her to take the stairs to the second floor, where the Commander was waiting for her.
The girl quickly climbed the metal spiral of the stairs, noting that she would have to talk with Cleo about this tent, sure tha
t she would be interested: Cleo was directing her studies towards architecture, and Nah’s tent was indeed a considerable example of ingenuity.
When Julia passed the curve described by the spiral just before reaching the floor, she found Commander Nah standing nearby, waiting for her. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties, tall and slim. Short and very light hair framed a face lit up by elegantly slanted green eyes. Even her voice had an exotic timbre, low and warm.
“Welcome to OB07, Captain.”
“My thanks, Commander.”
Julia responded with cautious courtesy, trying to weigh down how much her young age risked to undermine her position, potentially already uncomfortable.
Nah turned around slightly, to point at a sumptuously decked table that had been set for two.
“Come, let’s sit. I hope you had a comfortable journey?”
She had sat down while speaking, and was pouring into their glasses an orange liquid from a pitcher placed at the center of the table. She emptied her drink in three or four sips.
“Yes, there were no storms on our way. I sincerely wish to thank you for your hospitality, I truly couldn’t wish for a better accommodation.”
Julia also sat down, observing carefully the environment and the Commander. All the second floor of the tent was occupied by that single room: the table, laden with steel trays of sliced and peeled fruit, was placed next to the stairs taking down to the ground floor, while on the other side of the hall, towards the stairs going up, the Commander had set a steel desk and a couple of chairs.
“I’m glad you find your quarters appropriate.”
Nah looked at Julia’s empty plate and full glass and smiled.
“You may eat and drink as you please. That is the juice of our oranges, while over there we have mango, and banana. All local production, they grow naturally in the Forest.”
Julia smiled back, taking the glass to her lips and carefully sipping the orange liquid. She was surprised by the taste at first, sour and sweet at the same time, but soon understood that the intense heat made the juice the perfect drink for the climate. She lingered a moment with the cup in her hand, gathering ideas and courage. The pleasantries were not going to last much longer.
The Commander spoke again, looking for Julia’s eyes from above the glass.
“Secretary Marcus has asked me to provide you with a dozen of my units. I could help you in your choice if you would like to share with me further information on your mission. Currently we only have half of our forces in the base, but I can nonetheless offer you a rose of about 600 candidates.”
Julia’s eyes met the intense green of Nah’s stare. The Commander was sure of what she was doing and had no fear of an inspection – she deserved an answer.
Captain Mayne nodded slightly.
“Thank you. My mission is part of a recent project of the Department of Knowledge. I have to gather information on the Terrorists.”
Julia paused and Nah leaned forward on the table, interested.
“I was sent here because the Ministry has acknowledged different groups of Terrorists converging in this area.”
The Commander nodded, relaxing her back and stretching her long legs under the table.
“So they are. Half of my troops are deployed 20km from here to prevent our enemy from getting too close. For the moment they are coming from North and East – the Ocean protects us from the West, and OB08 is not encountering issues on the South.”
“I need someone that can watch my back.”
“If you don’t need the specific skills of bomb disposal experts or scouts, I suggest you consider our recruits. Some of them are in excellent shape. You could watch them while they train, if you want.”
“Thank you for the offer. I was planning on scouting the border, on our side of the Forest, to become familiar with the environment. After that I’ll gladly follow the activities of the base, to understand where I can find the best subjects for this mission.”
Nah nodded approvingly.
“Good. I can have someone give you a ride on an electrocart, we have trails we use to supply our units in the front lines. I’ll make sure your driver will be ready when you want to leave.”
Julia nodded her thanks, accepting this final courtesy of the Commander.
“Thank you. I’ll be ready soon.”
The pilot’s name was Arl, and he was the Sub-Commander Nah had nominated for the base. Julia noted the Commander’s ability to keep an eye on her guests without formally disrespecting them, but wasn’t upset about it.
The Sub-Commander knew the area well and was driving with ease and confidence. He appeared to be a few years younger than Nah, and had probably spent great part of his training and career in base 07.
After little more than half an hour, Julia asked him to stop about 5km away from the border.
“I’m going to familiarize with the territory. I’ll be back in two hours at most.”
The girl jumped off the vehicle, which was silently hovering about half a meter from the ground of the dirt trail, propped against its rear brake. Just before closing the door, following a whim of the moment, she grabbed a cylindrical object from one of the electrocart’s front compartments.
“I’m taking a flare with me, just in case. I also have a portable videophone with me, anyway.”
Arl arched his dark and well-kept eyebrows in surprise.
“Looks like you’re going to war, with all that gear.”
Julia smiled; she had taken with her only the basic equipment of the Advanced Corps and realized she didn’t feel the weight, even if the Sub-Commander appeared impressed by her stamina.
“I like to travel safely.”
The man understood he wasn’t going to receive a longer answer and pointed in front of him.
“The road is going to take a slight turn West, in the next 100 meters - there were some rocks on the North interfering with the trail.”
“Very well, I’ll remember it. See you soon.”
Captain Mayne turned westward and disappeared in the bushes.
When the shadows closed behind her back, it finally dawned on her she had never found herself alone in the Forest. She cautiously observed the thick fern brushes, the huge wide tree trunks, the strong vines falling from the tallest branches. She was alert and concentrated, but not scared.
The light of the sun was filtered by the leaves, lighting up the dampness in the air like slanted columns of milky mist. Julia just stood there for minutes, perfectly still in the knot of vegetation, locking the stifling heat in a small portion of her mind, along with the trickle of sweat running down her spine.
She tried to absorb through observation news about the nature of the place, and slowly details started to take shape. She noticed the exposed roots, where a huge snake was crawling, dark tongue darting to and fro; the parrot that was keeping an eye on her from above, hidden in the leaves; the buzz of the insects in the bushes and the high cry of the squad of birds that flew past her.
She took a step forward with renewed awareness, and watched the snake slither behind the root and the parrot hop off to another branch. Her boot left no trace in the thick vegetation. She decided to move silently, and against the wind.
She walked for more or less half an hour, listening to the calls of the birds moving quickly from the tallest branches of the trees, old and gnarled - soon Julia noticed that the vegetation on her left looked even more luxuriant, and guessed there was probably a river nearby. A few steps away from two huge tree trunks she could see a clearing, a good arrival spot for a first exploration of the area.
She tilted her body to the left to peek in between the trees, when the birds suddenly interrupted their chatter.
From the entrance of the clearing, Julia freezes - she can see. The rustling of the branches, the fluttering wings of parrots flying away. She shoots.
A thud from above - a couple of heartbeats, and two inhuman screams pierce the afternoon as a th
in and deadly spear whistles in the air, digs deep in the fallen tree trunk, vibrating with reflected rage.
The Imperial rolls forward without even touching the ground with her back, dodges a second spear which flies above her head, stands up and shoots again; confused shots, and the Terrorist to the left falls down. The last one jumps at her from the right - Julia reacts but too late, falls on her back, all the weight and the yellow eyes of the creature on top of her. Her free external knee bends, extends in a kick - in the fraction of a second created by the new distance, a point blank shot, then silence.
Julia crawls out from under the Terrorist’s corpse, and starts running.
Arl was waiting for her with the electrocart, as agreed. She hurriedly jumped up, saying only one word, eyes fixed on the road.
“Fly.”
The vehicle sprang forwards, rapidly gaining speed and darting between the trees. Julia caught her breath and composure while their distance with the border increased. Arl was looking at her from the corner of his eye, almost sardonically, but his smile faded as he noticed her attire and the girl’s eyes becoming more and more lucid and cold. They didn’t exchange a word until their arrival at the base.
“I have to speak with the Commander.”
Julia’s voice was molten steel.
“Now.”
And she said it with such an intensity that the Sub-Commander, now frightened, darted off to find Nah.
It was soon clear that something had changed in the balance of power. Nah and Arl listened to Captain Mayne’s report with wide eyes and tight lips.
“You’re telling me you were forced to engage with the Terrorists in our territory? In broad daylight?”
Nah’s voice, so confident and secure only a few hours earlier, was now shaken and hoarse with anxiety.
“Exactly. The border isn’t holding. I believe those were scouts sent to consider the opportunity of following the river.”
Sub-Commander Arl turned visibly white, and Nah turned her gaze on him.
“I think we would know if our vanguard had been seriously attacked - the Terrorists must have walked around it. Our network of outposts is clearly too spread out.”
Julia Dream Page 8